


Five Hundred And Fifty-Seven Days

by TheGirlInThePinkScarf



Category: Baseball RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Girlfriends/No Wives, Boston Red Sox, M/M, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-10 19:09:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17431853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGirlInThePinkScarf/pseuds/TheGirlInThePinkScarf
Summary: It has been five hundred and fifty-seven days since Rick walked away, not that Chris is counting.





	Five Hundred And Fifty-Seven Days

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of those fics I had a clear plan for, but then the train just fell off the tracks, LOL!
> 
> So, I don’t really have much to say about this except for I hope you all enjoy reading!
> 
> I always enjoy writing Chris and Rick, I deviated a bit from my usual path, but I still had fun writing this!
> 
> This is a little heavier than what I typically write, but it’s fluffy at the end I promise!
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of alcoholism and a suicide attempt.

* * *

_But inevitably_

_You'll be back again_

_'Cause you know in your heart, babe_

_Our love will never end, no_

_**Always Be My Baby- Mariah Carey** _

* * *

Most of Sale’s Saturday mornings start out the same way; with him doing the walk of shame from some random woman’s apartment. He doesn’t collect phone numbers and he barely even gets their names before hooking up with them. Of course, that’s completely by design. Chris isn’t looking to date or to find a girlfriend, he just wants to use sex as a way to bury his emotions. The reason that Chris doesn’t want to be in a relationship is because he knows it’s pointless for him. He has already met his soulmate. The problem is that he has _lost_ him. He let Rick get away and he hasn’t been right ever since. His phone rings right as he gets into his car.

“You should come by the restaurant. We need to talk,” David tells him.

“Will I get a free meal out of the deal?” Chris wants to know.

“Don’t you always?” David replies.

* * *

There’s already a hot plate with pancakes, eggs, and bacon waiting for Chris when he gets to Price’s restaurant. He’s still tired from his late night, so he welcomes all of the carbs and grease right now. It’s still pretty early in the morning, so there’s only a few older couples having breakfast. David sits down across from Sale and he nervously bites his lip. Chris is so into devouring his food that he doesn’t notice the nervousness from his friend. David always wonders how a guy like Chris can eat so much and be so goddamn skinny at the same time. He waits until Sale actually takes a break in between bites before he starts talking.

“Rick’s back,” Price announces.

Chris almost chokes on his pancakes. “ _What_?”

“Yeah, Nate told me like an hour ago. I thought you might take the news better coming from me,” David explains.

“You think I wouldn’t have reacted well if I ran into him at the grocery store or something?” Chris asks.

David shakes his head. “He didn’t come _alone_ , Chris. He’s dating someone and Nate says that it’s serious.”

“Serious as in . . . ”

“Serious as in he went ring shopping and he’s probably planning on proposing to her sometime in the next few days. I’m sorry—”

Chris has to hurry up and make his way to the bathroom because he’s suddenly sick to his stomach. It feels like he pukes up everything he ever ate once he’s done. He tells Price that he’s fine when he comes to check in on him. Of course, Sale is the furthest thing away from fine. He doesn’t want to talk about it though. He cleans himself up and he thanks David for breakfast before he rushes out of the restaurant. Chris knows that he should probably go home, but he wants to stop by Nate’s place instead. He immediately recognizes the car and the familiar New Jersey license plate on it in Nathan’s driveway. Sale parks behind it and makes his way to Nate’s porch. He bangs on the door instead of ringing the doorbell.

“Where is he?” Chris asks when Nate opens the door.

“Chris, are you drunk? You should just go home and sleep it off, man,” Nate tells him.

“I just want to see him. It’s been a long time, I just want to lay eyes on him,” Chris explains.

The logical part of Nathan says that he should turn Chris away and just shut his door. But the part of him that used to be close friends with Sale can’t let him do it. He lets out a deep breath and he makes Chris promise that he won’t make a scene. He nods as Nate leads him to his living room. Sale last saw Porcello about eighteen months ago. When he turns around as they enter the room, Chris’ heartbeat speeds up. Rick has grown a beard now, but he still looks absolutely breathtaking. He’s still the most beautiful person that Chris has ever seen and it’s not even close. Sale has to stop himself from reaching out and touching him.

Rick turns toward Nate. “What is he doing here? Did you tell him I was staying with you?”

“No! H-He just showed up and you know that I couldn’t tell him to leave. He doesn’t plan on staying long, r-right?” Nate stutters.

“I just wanted to _see_ you, Ricky. I wanted to see if you looked happy,” Chris says.

“As if you would know what happiness looks like on me,” Rick quips.

“I used to see it every morning when you woke up,” Chris reminds him.

“That was like a lifetime ago. Before you turned into a jealous and controlling monster,” Rick snaps.

The flash of hurt that comes across Sale’s face _almost_ makes Porcello feel bad. Chris says a quick goodbye and then he leaves the room with Nate following behind him. Rick can overhear them when they start talking in the kitchen. He doesn’t really _want_ to eavesdrop, but he ends up listening in on their conversation anyway. Chris clears his throat before he says that there’s something he wants to tell Nate.

“I never really apologized to you, Nate. I wasn’t just a shitty friend to you, I’m the reason that you and David broke up. I’m sorry. I wish I could say something else, something that would actually make things better. I’m truly sorry,” Chris apologizes.

“It wasn’t your fault that we broke up,” Nathan says.

“No, it really was my fault. DP picked his friendship with me over his relationship with you. I shouldn’t have ever put him in that position,” Chris replies.

“You were completely wrong to accuse me of cheating with Rick. Everything that happened when you confronted me was really messed up. You were a complete mess when Rick left though, Chris. I think there are days that you probably don’t even remember because you were so drunk all the time. You weren’t eating, you lost your job, and you pushed everyone away from you. DP saved your life. No matter how angry I was at you, I wanted you to be ok. I told him to leave me so that he could help you,” Nate reveals.

“Shit, Nate. I didn’t know, he’s never said anything. I don’t even think he resents me because of it,” Chris mentions.

“Yeah, he’s good like that. It’s part of the reason why I love him so much,” Nate says with a sad smile.

“I’m back on my feet now. I have been for a little while now. There’s no reason that both of us can’t be with the one we love,” Chris hints.

Nate sighs. “We’ll see.”

* * *

“Was Chris really that bad after I left?” Rick asks Nate after Chris leaves.

“Yeah, he was a fucking train wreck. He lost like twenty pounds, it felt like you could see right through him. He was trying really hard to drink his pain away and it was honestly slowly killing him. He actually had to be rushed to the hospital one night and it was scary as hell,” Nate lets him know.

“Why didn’t you call me when that happened?” Rick questions.

“Trust me, you didn’t want to see him like that,” Nate says.

Rick takes the ring box out of his pocket. “Am I doing the right thing by proposing to Bridget?”

“Are you asking that because you’re naturally a little nervous? Or is it because seeing Chris again has you second guessing your choice?” Nate wonders.

“I don’t know,” Rick admits.

* * *

When Rick needs advice, he always goes to his dad. He just seems to have infinite wisdom and he always knows just what to say. He tells Nate that he’ll be back after he visits his parents. Porcello turns the music up loudly in his car because he really doesn’t want to be alone with his thoughts right now. It’s not like Rick didn’t expect to see Chris at all while being back in Boston. They still have quite a few mutual friends, so it would have been dumb to think he could avoid his ex. The problem is that he wasn’t expecting to feel so unsettled by it. He still has a key to his mom and dad’s house, but he knocks instead of using it.

“Hey Rick! You just missed your mom and Bridget. They’re going dress shopping for the big dinner. I’ve already had to remind her like twenty times to not give anything away about the proposal,” Fred tells him.

“That’s actually what I came to talk to you about,” Rick says as he sits down next to his dad on the couch.

“You’re having doubts, aren’t you?” He guesses.

“How’d you know?” Rick wonders.

Fred laughs. “Because I know you, kid. Now tell me what’s going on.”

“I saw Chris today and it didn’t go the way I expected it to. Those feelings that I thought were gone, may actually still exist,” Rick confesses.

He rubs his temples. “Rick, do you really want to put yourself through _that_ again? Because you might be forgetting how bad things got at the end.”

“I never said I was going to put myself through anything. This is about how it’s not fair of me to propose to Bridget when I’m not completely sure she’s who I really want,” Rick explains.

“You’re right. You should really figure out what you want . . . soon because I guarantee that a woman like her isn’t going to wait around for long,” He advises.

Rick sighs. “Yeah, I know.”

* * *

David invites Rick to hang out at their old favorite bar and he accepts the invitation. When he finds out that some of his friends that he hasn’t seen yet will also be there, Porcello decides to take Bridget with him. He wants her to see more of his life and he kind of wants to know what everyone thinks of her. Rick knows that Nate likes her, but Nate tends to see the good in everyone. There’s a small voice in the back of his head saying that there’s a chance he may see Chris again. It has only been a few hours since he last saw him and he’s still shaken up from it. He makes up his mind when he sees Bridget and his mom come back from the mall.

“Do you mind if we go out tonight? I want to show you off to all my friends,” Rick tells her.

Bridget smiles. “Of course, I don’t mind. One of the dresses your mother bought me will be perfect to wear tonight!”

“I can’t wait to see you in it,” Rick says.

* * *

“Oh. I didn’t know that Rick was bringing his girl. Are you ok?” David asks when he sees them walking in their direction.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Chris grunts out.

“If you need to leave, we get it,” Brock tells him.

Rick introduces his girlfriend and Chris kind of tunes the rest of the conversation out. She’s tall, blonde, thin, and beautiful. She has deep blue eyes and shiny hair that flows down the middle of her back. Sale wouldn’t be surprised if she was a model or something. Rick has one of his arms draped casually around Bridget’s waist and he kisses her on the neck. Chris can’t stomach seeing them together, so he makes his way toward the bar. He knows if he orders one drink, he’ll want to order six more so he just gets water. He sits down on a stool by the bar and he takes a deep breath. The smell of whiskey is all around him and it’s making it harder for him to resist drinking. He’s not surprised when he sees David sit down in the seat next to him.

“I don’t think this is the best place for you to be right now,” David lets him know.

“I’m not going to do anything stupid, DP. I promise,” Chris earnestly tells him.

Price pats him on the back. “I’d give you a bullshit ‘there’s other fish in the sea’ speech, but that would make me a hypocrite.”

“Oh yeah, we’re gonna have a little talk about you and Nate later,” Chris promises.

“He’s wearing those tight black jeans that I always wonder how he can breathe in. I had to get away for a few minutes,” David half-jokes.

“Yeah, I get it. Rick always looks so damn good. I hate him just a little bit for it,” Chris says.

Price orders a beer and he asks Porcello if he will be bothered by him drinking it. Rick tells him that it’s fine. He excuses himself a few minutes later to go to the bathroom. After he washes his hands, Chris splashes some water onto his face. He doesn’t know how much longer he can stay and pretend to be ok. It was bad enough hearing Rick call him a “jealous and controlling monster” earlier. It’s somehow way more hurtful watching him and his girlfriend together. He looks up when he hears the door open. His heart feels like it’s going to beat right out of his chest when he sees Porcello walk in.

“Can we talk?” Rick asks.

* * *

“I overheard you and Nate talking earlier. He told me about that time David found you nearly dead and how you had to be rushed to the hospital—”

Chris cuts him off. “If you’re afraid I’ll have a ‘Whiskey Lullaby’ moment, don’t worry about that. I’m pretty sure DP would kill me himself first.”

“That’s not funny. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it all day. If he wouldn’t have gone to check on you . . . ”

“Don’t do that to yourself, Rick. It’s a dark time that I don’t even revisit in my head,” Chris says.

“I didn’t cope well at first either,” Rick tells him.

“Hmm. Is that what Bridget is to you then? A really pretty coping mechanism?” Chris counters.

“That’s not—She’s more than—I love her,” Rick fumbles over his sentence.

The crisp air outside suddenly feels freezing cold to Porcello. He didn’t ask Sale to talk with him outside the bar so that they could argue about Bridget. Truthfully, Rick’s not really sure what he expected from talking with Chris. He’s having a hard time figuring out if his feelings for his ex are legitimate. Has he loved Sale this entire time and just convinced himself that he actually loves Bridget? Maybe the sadness and shock that he’s feeling knowing that Chris almost died is just clouding his emotions. Rick isn’t anywhere close to figuring out the truth. He nervously bites his lip before he meets Sale’s gaze.

“Kiss me,” Rick whispers.

“ _What_?” Chris asks.

“I have to know if it still feels the same,” Rick explains.

Sale is already leaning against the building, so Rick easily makes his way in between his legs. He leans in until their faces are just inches apart. This is definitely familiar for both of them. Eighteen-ish months of separation isn’t long enough for them to forget a four year relationship. Chris always has a way of making Rick feel small despite their barely noticeable height difference. He lightly strokes Rick’s beard before keeping his hand on his chin. His grip is strong, but never harsh. Porcello closes his eyes and he quivers when Sale gently brushes their lips together. It’s soft, teasing, and it makes Rick want _more_.

“Why’d you stop?” Rick whines.

“Because I don’t ever want you to regret kissing me,” Chris softly says.

“Why would I regret kissing you?” Rick asks in a daze.

“Because of Bridget,” Chris reminds him.

It’s like Sale’s mention of Bridget summons her. The door to the bar flies open and out she walks. Rick and Chris are still standing so closely to each other; their lips are still pressed together. Bridget gasps and she turns to walk back into the bar. Rick curses as he goes in after her. This is definitely not how Rick imagined his short trip back home going. He sees her disappear into the women’s bathroom and he sighs. Porcello highly doubts that she’ll answer a text from him, but he sends her one anyway. He tells her that he can explain what she saw if she just gives him a chance. Rick’s surprised when she comes out of the bathroom five minutes later. He softly grabs her arm and asks if they can talk. Chris has come inside and joined their friends at the table, so Rick takes Bridget outside.

Bridget starts pacing. “You brought me here to meet your parents and you’re being all secretive. I thought you were going to fucking propose, Rick! But instead, I caught you . . . kissing some old friend of yours. What the fuck?”

“I was going to propose, Bridget. I was actually excited about it,” Rick admits.

“So excited that you kissed someone else, huh? Were you ever going to tell me about him? What else haven’t you told me about, Rick? This is just a lot for me to take in right now,” Bridget says.

“Chris is my ex. I found out that he went through something really traumatic and my emotions took over. I’m so sorry, Bridget. I definitely should have told you about him before now. I shouldn’t have kept this hidden from you,” Rick apologizes.

“Do you still love him?” Bridget wants to know.

Rick pauses briefly. “I—”

“Wow. That pause was all that I needed to hear. I can’t stay with your parents tonight, I’m going to stay at a hotel. I can’t fucking deal with this!” She exclaims.

“I just need a little time to figure out what I want,” Rick softly says.

Bridget shakes her head. “I’m sure that you do. What’s clear here is that you don’t want _me_. Maybe you never did and you were just playing pretend this whole time. I don’t know. But I can’t do this. I’ll figure out my own way back to Jersey. Goodbye, Rick.”

* * *

“Rick, are you crying? What’s wrong? Where’s Bridget?” Brock asks when he walks back into the bar.

“She’s _gone_. I fucked up and now we’re not together anymore,” Rick explains.

David looks at Chris. “What did _you_ do? I know that you had something to do with this.”

“It’s not his fault, not really. I kissed him because I was confused about my feelings, so that’s on me. If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to go have a few drinks right now,” Rick says before standing up from his chair.

* * *

“Are you happy, Chris? I imagine this is exactly what you wanted,” Rick says after his fourth beer.

“No, you’re hurt. I never want to see you hurt. You really loved her, didn’t you?” Chris questions.

Rick takes another shot of tequila. “Apparently not enough.”

“Maybe you should step away from the liquor and go home with Nate for the night,” Chris suggests.

“Aren’t you afraid that I’ll sleep with him?” Rick quips.

“I deserve that,” Chris replies.

Rick pulls on Sale’s belt buckle. “I could always go home with you, Chris. I expected my night to end with sex, there’s no reason that plan has to change.”

“I’m not really into the whole hate sex thing, sorry,” Chris counters.

“I don’t hate you. I really thought I did though. I think I just hate that I probably still love . . . ”

Porcello doesn’t get a chance to finish his sentence because he feels sick. There’s no way that he’ll make it to the bathroom in time, so Sale quickly finds a trash can for him to vomit into. Chris asks the bartender to get Rick some ginger ale. He pats him on the back soothingly as he whispers words of encouragement in his ear. Rick can’t remember the last time he drank so much that he got sick. He wipes his mouth with a napkin and he feels extremely embarrassed about throwing up in front of his ex. Porcello doesn’t fight him when Chris walks him over to where Nate, David, Brock, and Benny are sitting.

“You look awful, Rick. Let’s get you to bed,” Nate says.

* * *

When Chris hears his doorbell ringing early in the morning, he assumes that it’s probably Price checking in on him. He’s pleasantly surprised to see Rick at his door. He silently steps aside to let him inside his apartment. When Porcello starts looking around, Chris remembers that he hasn’t seen his new apartment before now. He moved out of the old one he shared with Rick as soon as his lease was up. Sale didn’t really want to move, but David told him that being surrounded by the ghost of his relationship with Rick was unhealthy for him. He walks over to his couch to sit down just in case he needs to prepare himself for bad news.

“DP had to give me your new address,” Rick breaks the silence.

“Right. I guess Nate wouldn’t have been able to tell you,” Chris realizes.

Rick sits down across from him. “I couldn’t sleep because I still can’t get the incident with DP finding you out of my head. I kept wondering why my brain was so fixated on it. You’re obviously alive and you’re fine, so why am I still stuck on it? I thought maybe it was just guilt.”

“Guilt? It wasn’t your fault,” Chris assures him.

“I know, but it’s hard to remember that. When I was in Jersey, I just assumed that you were ok. I still talked to Nate frequently and I know that he and David talked, too. I never had one thought about something terrible happening to you. I was kind of forced to think about ‘what ifs’ and that’s when the lightbulb went off. I thought about losing you, _for real_. I can count on one hand the number of things that would actually devastate me more than that, Chris. I don’t even want to think about what that would be like,” Rick says.

Chris places his hand on top of Rick’s. “I don’t want you to dwell on a stupid decision that I made. I pushed you away because I was paranoid and insecure. You did the right thing by leaving me. I couldn’t handle the consequences of my own actions and that’s not on you. If this is the only thing keeping you here, don’t let me hold you back from leaving again.”

“The whole point is that we’re not promised tomorrow, right? So, we should enjoy the time that we have while we still have it. I don’t want to waste any more time apart, Chris. I want to come back home; I want to come back to _you_ ,” Rick finally admits.

Chris never cries. He gets angry and he gets depressed, but that never makes tears come for some reason. He’s not shocked when a happy tear makes its way down his cheek though. He has waited a long time to hear Rick _finally_ say those words. Sale grabs Porcello by the hand and he pulls him into his lap. They kiss and it’s not hesitant this time. It’s full of passion and desperation. Chris gently runs his fingers through the short hairs at the back of Rick’s neck. He’s delighted that it still makes him gasp and shiver. If there’s one thing that Sale still knows, it’s Rick’s body.

“Bed. Take me to bed,” Rick whispers.

* * *

Rick has never really had _bad_ sex, but he only has mind numbing, makes his toes curl sex with Chris. It’s always so intense and incredible being with Chris. Every time that Rick tries to close his eyes, he begs him to keep them open. Porcello wraps his arms around Sale’s neck and he brings their mouths together. Rick can’t believe that he tried to convince himself that he could live without _this_ ; without Chris. Everything he has ever experienced pales in comparison to this. He ends the kiss just in time to let out a sharp moan. Chris has started stroking his cock and his hand follows the same rhythm as his thrusts.

“Please, Chris, _please_!” Rick begs.

Chris brushes his lips against Rick’s. “What do you want, baby?”

“Make me cum,” Rick tells him.

“Not yet,” Chris responds.

Chris is in absolutely no rush and he’s enjoying taking his sweet time. He delicately kisses Rick’s eyelids and the bridge of his nose. He idly runs his fingers up and down Rick’s strong thighs. Sale touches him as if he’s afraid he’ll disappear if he stops. Being with Porcello like this is the sweetest and most perfect thing he has ever known. He can’t believe he let his insecurities and jealousy take this away from him. Rick’s legitimately pouting and it’s actually pretty cute. He kisses him and tells him to be patient. They both know it’s going to be worth the wait.

“I just got you back, let me enjoy every second of this,” Chris says.

“Fine,” Rick concedes.

“Don’t worry. If you still want a quickie later, I’m up for that,” Chris lets him know.

Rick laughs. “Do you plan on letting me leave the bed today?”

“Of course. I’d never stop you from going to the bathroom,” Chris jokes.

Their laughs turn into moans when Sale picks up the pace a little bit. They’re both sweating and breathing hard. The headboard squeaks a little bit and it reminds Rick of old times. Chris changes the angle of his thrusts so that he can hit Rick’s prostate better. He groans loudly and he unintentionally digs his nails into Chris’ back in response. He doesn’t apologize because he knows that Sale doesn’t mind the scrape of his nails. After about three more pumps of his hips, Rick’s body trembles and his toes curl as he cums. He loses his vision for a few seconds as he comes down from his orgasm. All of Porcello’s senses are properly working in time to watch Chris reach climax. He falls down on top of Rick and he doesn’t immediately pull out.

Rick kisses him on the forehead. “I love you.”

“Day five hundred and fifty-eight, Rick returns and tells me that he loves me,” Chris accidentally says out loud.

“What?” Rick asks.

Chris blushes. “I meant to say that in my head, but since the cat is already out of the bag I might as well tell you now. So while you were gone, I literally counted the days. I must have been drunk when I started it because I don’t really remember it, but I wrote about what it was like without you every day. It’s really fucking embarrassing.”

“It’s a bit depressing, but it’s not embarrassing. Did you write about _that_ day?” Rick wonders.

“Yeah, I did,” Chris admits.

“Can I read it?” Rick whispers.

Chris wants to vehemently say no, but he doesn’t. He realizes that bottling up his emotions and not talking about things is exactly how he lost Rick. He keeps all of his notebooks in his top drawer. The entry that Porcello wants to read is one of the few that he actually remembers by number. It was Day Ninety. He finds the correct notebook and he turns to the page for Rick. Chris reminds him that he should prepare himself for how dark that it is. Chris was truly in an awful place, it was definitely his lowest moment. Rick nods as he begins reading:

_Day 90,_

_Drinking is the only thing that helps take the pain away even a little bit. It’s all I have now, it’s all that I want since I can’t have Rick. I barely sleep and I don’t like eating anymore. David’s really worried about me, so he made me go to the doctor today. We were all shocked when the scale said 169 pounds on it. I’m sicker than I thought and all my friends are worried. I don’t like making them worry like this, but I know that I’m not going to get any better. The bottle is my only solace. Maybe I can drink enough to finally make everything stop._

Rick can’t make himself read anymore and he doesn’t even realize that he’s crying until Chris tenderly wipes his tears away. While Rick was busy dating Bridget, Chris was almost literally dying without him. The ache that Rick suddenly feels in his chest is worse than he has ever felt. Sale places sweet, gentle kisses onto his cheeks and he wraps his arms around him firmly. This is exactly why Chris never wanted him to find out about that night. He lays Porcello down beside him, but he doesn’t stop holding him.

Chris runs his fingers through Rick’s scalp. “I never wanted you to know about that because I knew how it would affect you. I also didn’t want that to be the reason we got back together.”

“Look at me. I was _always_ going to find my way back to you, Chris. I was in denial for a while and I was ignoring some of the signs. I think I ignored the signs because I was afraid of getting hurt again. Being with Bridget was safe and comfortable and that’s what I _thought_ I needed. I’d rather have chaos or whatever with you,” Rick explains.

“Don’t talk like that. You deserve safe and comfortable. I can give you that, I _want_ to give you that, Rick. It can be like how it was before things got bad. It can be even better,” Chris says as he kisses Rick behind his ear.

“I can get used to this new version of you,” Rick lets him know.

Chris smiles. “I can definitely get used to having you back again.”

* * *

“We just wanted to make sure that you two were actually alive. You haven’t really answered calls or texts for like two days!” David says when Chris lets him and Nate inside his apartment.

“We had _a lot_ of catching up to do,” Chris answers.

“That was a little too much information, but I’m happy for you guys,” Nate says.

“Thanks. I feel like we should be happy for you as well?” Rick assumes.

Nate kisses David chastely. “Yes. We talked after you left _two_ days ago and now we're together again.”

“I have a dinner reservation for four that I haven't canceled yet. Maybe we could use it tonight,” Rick suggests.

“Yeah, I'm in,” David agrees.

* * *

“I want to make a toast when the waiter comes back with our wine. Oh wait. Can you have wine, Chris?” Rick asks.

“I can have one glass,” Chris lets him know.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to pressure you into—”

Chris cuts him off with a kiss. “I drink one glass of wine with Benny and Brock sometimes when they invite me over for dinner. I can handle it.”

“He’ll be fine,” David assures him as their waiter comes back.

Rick raises his glass once it’s filled. “Here’s to ending up where you belong, to always finding your way back home.”

“Here’s to making it through five hundred and fifty-seven long ass days,” Chris adds.

* * *

**Six Months Later**

* * *

“You can take your blindfold off now,” Chris tells him.

Rick looks around the empty bar. “I’m confused. Why are we back at Chaser’s and why isn’t there anyone else here?”

“This is where we first met all those years ago. I can still picture it like it was yesterday. I walked in with DP and you were serving drinks behind the bar. Do you remember what the first words I ever said to you were?” Chris wonders.

“Of course. How could I forget? We were really busy that night and I spilled beer on my shirt. I just decided to take it off right before serving you. You hilariously told me that my abs were marriage material,” Rick remembers.

Chris gets down on one knee. “I definitely want to marry you for more than just your abs. Frederick Alfred Porcello III, you are the absolute best thing about my life. I lost you once and it nearly killed me. Everyone already knows that we belong to each other, but I still want to make it official. So, will you marry me?”

“I can’t believe you’re _actually_ asking because you know the answer is yes! I’d never say no,” Rick assures him.

Rick is pleasantly surprised when he suddenly hears clapping and cheering coming from the back of the bar. His friends and family, even his brothers who still live in Jersey walk out to greet him and Chris. There are so many hugs and so much excited yelling from everyone. Rick can’t help but to smile because everyone that he loves and cares about are all in one room. Porcello’s a little surprised that his mom looks genuinely happy for him because she has expressed doubts about his relationship as recently as last month. When everything has calmed down and they’re drinking wine, Rick decides to ask his mother about her change of heart.

She smiles sweetly. “Chris came to me and your father a month ago and he mentioned his marriage plans. I honestly thought it was too soon and I told him that. He respected my opinion and he called off the engagement. I called him last week to tell him I changed my mind.”

“Why? What happened?” Rick wants to know.

“You never really fight me on anything, sweetheart. The exception has always been Chris. I was just so worried that he'd hurt you again. When you didn't come running home to tell us you were engaged, I realized that Chris really is a good man. That he's an honest one, that he loves you the way he should. I couldn't stand in the way of that,” She explains.

* * *

“That canceled trip to Jersey last month? That's when you were originally going to propose wasn't it?” Rick realizes.

Chris nods. “Yeah, but I chickened out.”

“It's ok, Chris. My mom told me the story. I just can't believe you actually listened to her because you're the most stubborn person I know,” Rick says.

“She's important to you and I know how much you both love each other. I'd never disrespect your mom, Rick. If I would have had to wait another six months or a few more years, I'd have waited,” Chris tells him.

Rick kisses him passionately. “God, I can't wait to call you my husband.”

“Yeah. I can't wait either,” Chris agrees.

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said on Tumblr once, I’ll always give Chris and Rick their happy ending it just won’t always be the easiest path for them to get there.
> 
> I’d love to hear any thoughts you have in a comment!


End file.
